Publications

A capability statement concerning our work on Agriculture in Africa which focuses on equity and growth for smallholders.

La présente note thématique est basée sur les expériences de la SNV en matière d’appui aux pasteurs en Afrique, en vue d’améliorer leurs moyens d’existence. Elle se fonde sur une large gamme d’études de cas qui, à travers le continent, mettent en évidence un certain nombre de traits communs aux
pratiques des pasteurs. La collaboration avec les pasteurs nous a appris qu’ils ne sont pas les traditionalistes que l’on décrit souvent. Ils s’adaptent au changement rapide comme tout autre groupe en Afrique. La présente note met en exergue l’éventail de stratégies d’adaptation, d’options de commercialisation et de mécanismes institutionnels qui ont cours à l’heure actuelle au sein de ces communautés. Ces expériences démontrent que le travail de la SNV a permis d’apporter des améliorations  tangibles aux moyens d’existence des éleveurs, tout en augmentant leur contribution au développement écon omique dans certains des milieux les plus difficiles en Afrique aujourd’hui.

In June 2010 SNV, together with IFAD, organised a conference on ‘brokering knowledge for upscaling best practices in Inclusive Markets Access in East & Southern Africa’, which brought together over 70 participants from 11 African countries from donor, public and private sector to share experiences. This report summarizes the main issues discussed during the conference, of which the main focus was seeking to bring about systemic change for larger-scale sustainable inclusive markets with a wider significance.

The southern region of Ethiopia, Arabaminch Zuria, is known for its high potential in tropical fruit production and currently contributes 10 to 15% to national fruit production. However, its potential could be as high as 40%. SNV’s BOAM programme is therefore supporting the introduction of new and faster technology to change old mango trees into improved and marketable types. SNV started with identifying the major constraints in mango production and marketing, and proposed some leverage intervention strategies, such as strengthening producer organisations. A business plan was developed, and cooperatives were trained in general management principles and values. This lead, among others, to improved income for members, and an improved financial position of the cooperative.

This annual report provides more detail of the strategic position choices SNV made in East and Southern Africa in 2007 and illustrates our approach with case studies from our practice.

Ethiopia, while being an important actor in the world’s honey and beeswax sector, was until recently banned from exporting any animal-based product to the EU, where an excellent market for Ethiopian honey exists. To do so, a country needs to have the ‘Third Country with Approved Residue Monitoring Plan’, an EU regulation controlling exports to EU member states. Using information from experiences in Zambia, SNV prepared a successful action plan for Ethiopian honey Third Country Listing. Simultaneously, measures were taken and financially supported through SNV’s BOAM program to link exporters in Ethiopia to importers in the EU. Third Country listing is expected to also benefit the local market. Infrastructures that have been created make it possible to know who producers are, where they are located, how much they produce and what the quality of their produce is.

Opportunities for adding value along the milk chain are far greater than so far exploited. Many consumers reject local milk (products) because of quality defects, short shelf life etc., and instead revert to imported products that are 2-3 times more expensive. Winning consumers and thus replacing imports, requires a systematic approach towards quality measurement, and an economically viable payment structure. SNV and its partners designed such a system and the case describes how it was implemented together with a local milk cooperative. The combination of 1) response to a market opportunity, 2) advisory service and capacity development, and 3) implementation of a simple quality-based payment for raw milk created enthusiasm along raw milk suppliers. It enabled them to source and market much larger quantities of raw milk and a limited range of products at a better price.

The Chencha district in Southern Ethiopia has nearly 50 years of experience in growing highland fruits, including apples, pears and plums. Apples are marketed through the Chencha Highland Fruits Marketing Cooperative. SNV aided the cooperative by identifying problems constraining apple production and marketing in the area, and identifying several key intervention areas such as supporting apple fruit quality improvement activities, strengthening existing cooperative and coordinating overall sub-sector development. SNV provided capacity development services, which ultimately led to increased productivity, income and employment, ensuring the cooperative’s long-term sustainability.

The essence of practicing traditional beekeeping by Ethiopian small farmers, along with other farming activities, has been meeting basic subsistence needs but does not provide profit and capital growth. This while the potential is high because honey is often organic; however, official standards such as ISO and HACCP certification are needed to enter the international market. The approach and methods of SNV–Ethiopia have been to provide support to Ethiopian honey and beeswax processors and exporters individually in the form of technical advice and financial grants that could help them develop and implement improvements to support the growth of their enterprises. In addition, SNV aided in securing organic certification.

This practice brief shares SNV's experiences in supporting pastoralists in Africa to improve their livelihoods. It bringstogether a wide variety of cases from across the continent that draw out a number of commonalities in pastoralist practices, for instance their management of water resources in Tanzania and Niger. But it highlights as well the diversity of the contexts within which pastoralism operates, as seen in the contrasting scales of dairy processing in Kenya, Niger and Burkina Faso, or the different roles played by local brokers in the livestock markets of Southern Sudan and Benin. Working with pastoralists has taught us that they are not the traditionalists they are often depicted to be. They are adapting to rapid change as much as any other group in Africa. This Practice Brief highlights a variety of adaptation strategies, commercialisation options and institutional arrangements that are currently in use. These diverse experiences demonstrate that SNV support has helped bring about tangible improvements in pastoralist livelihoods, whilst increasing their contribution to economic  development in some of the most challenging environments in Africa today.

Brochure which describes the partnership between SNV and FLO (Fairtrade International). In 2006, a unique partnership was born. Responding to the need for an integrated, market-based approach to the challenge of persistent poverty, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) and Fairtrade International (FLO) teamed up to help producers in the World South reach consumers worldwide via Fairtrade. As a result of the partnership, numerous farming communities in eleven African countries now benefit from expanded market access, increased production, employment and income, as well as broader social progress and greater control over their future.

This is the story of the partnership, the people involved and the progress made.

SNV’s approach to development is principally to work in an advisory capacity with meso-level organizations. Taking on this advisory role has considerable implications for the way that SNV handles issues. In essence, it is the quality of the advisory service itself, rather than the specific knowledge to be shared or transferred, that makes managing such issues successful. Clearly SNV advisers must be able provide guidance and support to partners and their staff to do this. At the same time SNV seeks to learn from other organizations that may be emphasizing the advisory process.

East African SNV programmes have undertaken an initiative to build new models for advisory practice, what we call ‘Building Advisory Practice’ (BAP). The initiative has examined in detail what characteristics constitute a quality advisory practice, what others are doing that SNV would like to emulate, and the best way to share the knowledge gained with the wider public. Meeting these objectives means building new ways of learning and sharing within SNV and with external partners and knowledge systems. This publication on private sector development is a major product in that endeavour.

The publication, as with the whole BAP process, has involved the energy, commitment and patience of literally hundreds of persons, from partner organizations as well as SNV staff, many of whom are acknowledged at the back of the booklet.

This book presents the approaches and lessons learned in The Business Organisations and Their Access to Markets (BOAM) programme.

Ethiopia exported its first consignment of honey to the European Union (EU) in 2008 after a three year period of preparations towards attaining Third Country Listing status. This was the result of a deliberate set of interventions to help increase processing capacity in combination with an out-grower scheme to supply honey. This case study explains how increasing exports was achieved with inclusion and expansion of smallholder beekeeping practices, and the development of the business sector as a whole.
The 8,193 small holder farmers, who were directly trained as part of the out-growers programme of 8 leading exporters, saw an increase in production of 23%, and a revenue increase of 27%(US$) / 83%(ETB) during the last three years alone. An additional 72,000 beekeepers experienced indirect and smaller effects of the training on their income. The additional incomes enabled farmers to improve the living conditions of their families and send their children to school. Based on its 122% growth in exports value and 107% growth in its share of the world exports, Ethiopian honey export was categorized by the International Trade Centre as a ‘star’ in structural performance.

See also: Inclusive Business at SNV